Fire safety appliance for application to the outside of windows



Aug. 4, 1953 A. F. WINTERCORN 2,647,293

FIRE SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR APPLICATION TO THE CUT-SIDE OF WINDOWS Filed 001;. 6, 1947 Patented Aug. 4, 1953 UNITED SITES ATENT OFFICE Finn SAFETY APPLIANCE ron rrnioA'rIoN T The OUTSIDE oF WINDOWS 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved the safety appliance for use in upper story windows of hotels, hospitals, silicon, and other buildihgs, wherever the hazards require such extra safety devices to reduce loss of life in the event sudden intense heat, smoke, or fumes in hallways make the use of inside oroutside fire escapes (when provided) unsafe or impossible, as happened in a number of big hotel disasters recently.

The principal object of my invention is to providea specially designed body support for attachment to windows, in the form of a life belt or railing, at least "one for each window, having ass'oci'a'ted therewith harnesses, one for each occupant of a room, the harnesses being connected to the life belt or railing by shroud lines, and the belt or railing having clips on the ends designed for quick attachment to the bolts commonly furnished on the outer side of the window frames for the attachment of window washers slings. The railing is the preferred form of body support and comprises a metallic bracket designed to reach across the window opening and be quickly attached to the aforesaid bolts on the window frame and having the life lines of the one or more harnesses 'slidably attached thereto. In both forms, the person or persons using the belt or bracket for support stand substantially upright on the window ledge, facing inwardly, close to but not pressed against the window, as distinguished from hanging out into space from the window like a window washer, thereby reducing the feeling of gid'dihess and accordingly reducing hkeliho'od of fainting, although with the present equipment in use properly, that would not be fatal. Also, the life lines are long enough to reach from the window belt or bracket 'into the room to permit each person to put on his or her harness in the comparative safety of the room after putting up the window belt or bracket and before mounting the window sill, and the belts of the harnesses to which the lift lines are attached are equipped with snap buckles for quickly hitching the harness belt directly to the window belt, or bracket, as the case may be, so as to give each person a sense of greater security once he is standing on the ledge outside the window, and warrant his closing the window, even when the heat and smoke in the room might not be serious enough to necessitate his doing so, thereby assuring the person a good supply of fresh air to avoid any danger of suffocation, and incidentally, helping also to curb the spread of the fire by reducing the draft which an open window furnishes. The life lines, like the window belts, are of fire resistaht material and preferably wire-reinforced, and, being long enough to allow putting on the 2; harness inside the room after the windowbelt or bracketis applied to the window frame, are thereby also long enough to ail'ow the person to lower himself below the window lodge in the eventthe heat or flames in the room make it too uncomfortable or even unsafe for him to stay on the ledge. The equipment described is obvi ously inexpensive and has the big advantage that the pi" estive user with the help of a few pictin-es osted in the rooms and hotel "lobby to illustrate use of the equipment, will quickly und'erstand what to do, and it, moreover, utilizes the window frame bolts which are already a part of the present equipment for window Washing in the majority of modern tall structure's, so that a further saving in cost is realized. Then, too, the average mechanically unskilled person, even under the stress of "impending disaster, will at once perceive the general similarity in the mannor of using this equipment to a window washers apparatus and is not'apt to encounter any difficulty in locating th window washers bolts on the outside of the window frame and attaching theequipinent thereto, thereby greatly reducing likelihood of a person becoming a casualty despite the fact that this life saving equipment was there for him to use in the emergency. 'I'n'that connection, it may be pointed out thatmany more or less elaborate and expensive devices and equipments have been proposed intended to save lives in' hotel fires but are not practical because theyfail to take into account the reluctance of the average person to understake doing what only a steeple-pack, parachute jumper, or structural iron worker would be qualified or expected to do at a great height. The present equipment avoids that objection.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying' drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a fire safety appliance made in accordance with my invention, this form involving the use of a flexible window belt equipped. with the' window bolt snap-fastener clips and beingshown as associated with only one harness-and the life-lines therefor, although two or even more of these harnesses may be provided in association with one of these window belts, depending, of course, upon the size of the window opening and the length of belt accordingly provided;

Fig. 2 is a view on a smaller scale illustrating the appliance in use, showing the windowbelt in place on the outside of thew-indow frame, and

the harness applied to a man inside theroom preparatory to his getting up on the windowsill and standing onthe ledge outside;

' Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionshowi-ng how the man is finally hitched to the window belt for secure support while standing out on the window ledge, facing inwardly and Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a modified or alternative form of appliance in which a metal bracket is used instead of the window belt, the life lines of the harnesses being slidably connected thereto, and one of the window bolt snapfastener clips on the ends being pivotally connected to the bracket and the other having a. universal joint connection therewith.

Similar reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout these views.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3, the reference numeral 5 designates the life belt spanning the window opening at approximately waist height and detachably connected at its ends bysnap-on clips 6 and 1 to the headed ends of two pairs of bolts 8 that project to a certain extent from the outer side of and are securely anchored in the window frame 9 on opposite sides of the window opening in the usual way. On most modern ofiice and hotel and other tall buildings such bolts are already a part of the standard equipment on all upper story windows to enable window Washers to take care of washing these window in the well-known manner, namely, by standing on the ledge leaning out into space while supported by a rope sling attached at the ends to clips locked onto said bolts, the sling being suitably secured intermediate itsends to a wide belt on the waist of the workman. However, only :a window washer or one similarly constituted, mentally and physically, could use that sort of an outfit to stand on a window ledge for safety during a fire. Most persons, even under the pressure of such an emergency, where they kne their lives depended upon it, could not steel themselves to use such a thing, especially at any considerable height. Hence, the importance of providing the life belt 5 which is taut enough and, of course, strong enough and sufliciently non-yielding to provide a thoroughly reliable support for a person, or persons, standing substantially erect on the window ledge Ill, as indicated in dotted lines at I l in Fig. 3. Attached to the belt 5 by life lines I2 and I3 is a body harness 14 consisting of a belt 15 which extends around the waist of the person [I and is fastened by means of a buckle IS in front, and crossed-straps l1 and is which extend upwardly over the shoulders and downwardly through the crotch and are fastened to the back of the belt l5, as at 19, and to the front of the belt, as at 20, and have slack take-up adjustments 2i and 22 in the upper and lower front portions to permit adjusting the size of the harness to suit individual requirements. Rings 23 are provided intermediate the ends of the life lines [2 and l 3, and snap buckles 24 are provided at the harness belt end of the life lines to connect to the rings 23 after the person has mounted the window sill 25 preparatory to standing on the ledge l0 and resting against the window belt 5. In other words, the purpose is to take up nearly all of the non-essential slack in the life lines I2 and I3, so that those lines alone would be sufficient to support the person on the ledge I 0, even without the additional support of the belt, but the belt 5 gives assurance not only of adequate support, but relieves the person of anxiety while standing on the ledge that he would most likely otherwise suffer if he had only the life lines I 2 and I3 for support. In fact, it is believed safe to say that only a small percentage of people who are unaccustomed to standing on a narrow window ledge at a great height would or could steel themselves to the ordeal of standing there with only the life lines for support; only an experienced window washer could be expected to do so. Furthermore, it must be remembered that two or more persons occupying a room may have to resort to this means of escaping a fire, and where there are several persons standing on the same ledge, side by side, the added support of the life belt 5 is then even more important. In such circumstances, each body harness M will have the outer ends of its life lines attached to the rings 25, to one or both, rings 23 being provided in those life lines likewise at the proper spacing from the point or points of attachment to the belt 5 at ring or rings 26 to take up substantially all of the slack in the life lines when the person has mounted the sill 25, so that he can step out onto the ledge 10 with a feeling of sufiicient security and would remain upon the ledge even if he fainted, being supported not only by the more or less taut life lines, but also by the belt 5. In other words, a person slumping as a result of fainting would be supported in a more or less erect position by reason of these two means of support, and the fact that the upper and lower window sashes 2! and 28 are usually closed after the person or persons have taken their positions on the ledge. The belt 5 is fairly wide and made of fire resistant material, and moreover has a number of flexible wires 29 extending therethrough lengthwise from one ring 26 to the other. The life lines l2 and I3 which are also preferably of fire resistant material, likewise have flexible wires 30 extending therethrough from the rings 31 to the rings 32, and the harness I 4 which is also preferably of fire resistant material likewise has flexible wires 33 extending lengthwise through at least the belt portion I5 and suitably connected to the cars 34 to which the rings 32 are attached. In that way, regardless of how serious the fire may be the equipment itself will be fire resistant and still afford protection. If, because of the heat in the room, the windows 21 and 28 give off so much heat that it becomes unbearable even out on the ledge H), the buckles 24 can be unfastened from the rings 23 and permit the person standing on the ledge to lower himself to a position below the window ledge. In other words, the extra length of the life lines I2 and I3 provided to reach from the window belt 5 into the room to permit the person to put on the harness ht in the comparative safety of the room after he has put up the window belt and before he has mounted the window sill, serves this additional purpose in an unusual emergency. As stated before, in the large majority of cases, asphyxiation is the only cause of death, not actual burning, and hence, in nearly one hundred per cent of the instances where this equipment would be used, it is believed that it would suffice merely to stand on the ledge with the windows closed so as to insure ample fresh air until the fire in the building has been extinguished and the air within has been cleared sufi'lciently to enable the survivors to leave their rooms and make their exits from the building safely.

In the modified form illustrated in Fig. l, a U- shaped metal bracket 5a is provided instead of the belt 5 to extend across the middle of the window opening and be attached by means of the clips 6d and 1a to the bolts 8. The arm 35 on one end of the bracket 5a is pivotally connected on a vertical axis by a bolt 36 to a horizontal lug 31 provided on the clip'la. The other arm 38 of the bracket Ed has a universal joint connection with the clip to through an intermediate swivel block as that is pivotally connected on a horizontal axis as at 40 to the vertically extending lug 4i provided on the clip 6a, the arm 38 being pivotally connected to the block 39 on a transverse axis, as at it. The purpose of this construction is to facilitate mounting the bracket on the pairs of window bolts 8 on opposite sides of the window frame on the outside thereof, the clip ta being first attached to the bolts on the left hand side while the bracket 5a extends into the room and rests more or less on the window sill, after which the bracket So can easily be swung outwardly through the window opening and then upwardly enough to permit attaching the other clip Ia to the bolts 8 on the right hand side of the window. It may be possible to eliminate the pivot 36 and make the bracket 5c rigid with the clip la, but it is obvious that a universal joint connection with the other clip at the other end of the bracket is essential, otherwise one person might find it rather diificult to attach the bracket by means of the two clips to the bolts on the window frame, working from the inside of the window as he would have to. There are several advantages in the use of the bracket be as compared with use of the belt 5. First of all, it is fireproof and affords a rigid and hence more satisfactory support for the person or persons standing on the window ledge l0. Then, too, the rings 3m provided on the ends of the life lines lie and its for each harness Ma are slidable freely on the crossportion it of the bracket 5a to positions directly behind and on opposite sides of the person connected therewith, so that the buckles 24a can be fastened directly to these rings instead of having to be fastened to rings 23 intermediate the ends of the life lines, as in the other construction. Moreover, there is no confusion where two or even more persons are attached by means of their life lines to the same bracket, because each person will have his or her pair of rings 3m directly behind and connected to buckles 24a. Here again, it will be understood that the life lines, and the harnesses, will be of fire resistant material and incorporate flexible wire reenforcements as in the other construction, also that the life lines will be long enough to reach from the window bracket into the room far enough to permit putting on the harness in the comparative safety of the room before mounting the window sill, at which time the buckles 23a will, of course, be connected immediately to the rings 31a or to the ears ii-i extending therefrom.

In passing, it may be stated that the clips 5 and l and clips to and la are of a well-known type commonly used having T-slots til extending lengthwise thereof into which the square heads on the bolts 8 are entered through the widened lower end i6 of the slots, a leaf spring 4? being provided in each clip extending lengthwise thereof and riveted at one end as at it, and arranged to yield to admit the heads of the bolts and then engage behind the upper of the two bolts when the lower one has entered the slot 45. This makes a very secure and reliable fastening and one which will not become accidentally unfastened, because until the operator purposely releases the spring catch 41 by lifting 0n the knob 59 to move the free end of the spring clear of the upper bolt, the clip cannot be moved endwise relative to the bolts. In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the clips 6 and l are connected by rings cc to the rings 25, the ring 50 for clip 1 being shown as broken. to permit showing the clip 2' turned around to expose the opposite face from that exposed on clip 6 in Fig. 1.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. An escape apparatus for persons trapped within a windowed burning building comprising in combination, an elongated horizontal support including means at each end thereof cooperative with means mounted at the sides of a window opening exteriorly of the window for detachabiy securing the support by such ends to the opposite sides of the windows opening at a level above the window ledge generally corresponding to the waist level of a person standing erect on the window ledge, the distance between said support and the window being such that said support engages the back of the person standing substantially erect on the window ledge, a body harness including a waist band for the person, pair of life lines connecting opposite sides of said waist to said support, the length of said lines being such as to enable the person with said harness donned to secure the ends of horizontal support to the opposite sides or the window opening while standing on the floor inside the window and to hang by said life lines below the window ledge, and interengageable fastener members one of which members is carried by the waist band of said harness for detachably connecting said waist band in close proximity to said support.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said horizontal support is constituted by a length of flexible material and wherein interengageable fastener members are constituted by one member on each life line adjacent the end connected to said support cooperative with another member at each side of said waist band.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein horizontal support is cons tilted by a rigid U-shaped bracket including fastener devices at each end thereof for detachably securing the to the mounting means at the sides of the window opening, one end of said bracket being pivctally attached to the fastener device at such end on a vertical pivot axis and the other end of said bracket being pivotally attached to the fastener device at such end on a universal pivot axis, and wherein said interengageable fastener members are constituted by one member at each of said waist band cooperative with another member on said bracket.

Denmark 1931 

